If I am seeking a divorce in Calgary, must I attend the Parenting After Separation Course?

The Parenting After Separation Course is a course that has been set up to assist parents that are separating, or are getting a divorce in Calgary.

Course topics include: building relationships, how separation affects parents, how separation affects children, communication skills, legal issues, alternative dispute resolutions and parenting plans.

The Parenting After Separation Course may be attended in person, or may be taken online. This is a link to the Parenting After Separation Course's website: Parenting After Separation Course.

Attending the course "in person" takes 6 hours. Once the course has been completed, a Certificate of Completion is issued. The Plaintiff in a divorce action must attend the Parenting After Separation Course within 3 months of filing the Statement of Claim for Divorce with the Court in Calgary. The Applicant to an Application for a Parenting Order must attend the Parenting After Separation Course within 3 months of filing the Application, if the Application is being filed with the family division of the Court of Queen's Bench in Alberta.

Ideally, the Plaintiff in a divorce action should file the Certificate of Completion as soon as possible after attending the course. In any event, the Plaintiff will have to file the Certificate of Completion at the time that they file their request for a desk divorce.

In most cases, an Applicant for a Parenting Order in Calgary will have to file the Certificate of Completion with the Court at the time that their Application is filed. While, in an emergency situation, it may be possible to obtain an exemption from having to complete the course, such an exemption is easier to obtain if the Applicant has already registered to attend the course.

I am a divorce lawyer and family lawyer in Calgary and, if you have any questions or concerns regarding this summary, please do not hesitate to contact me to schedule a consultation.